


Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

by blackcoffeeandteardrops



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Post-Finale, The X-Files Revival, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:38:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6883774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcoffeeandteardrops/pseuds/blackcoffeeandteardrops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It was your hair,” he says, hazel eyes locking with her blue ones. “It’s what made me feel like I remembered you. It’s different from before, not as red, but the dreams…”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something that wrapped around my heart and wouldn't leave me alone. I'll likely end up writing another post-finale fic at some point, because I find these characters and their potential dynamic so interesting, but I wanted to just leave it at this for now. Thanks for reading!

Scully can remember the last time she watched him sleep. Curled safely in his crib, he was so impossibly small despite being nearly a year old. She packed his things in a bag, setting it by the door for Monica to take in the morning, and had spent the rest of the night staring at his face. She let herself cry as his little fist wrapped tightly around her finger, tethering them together, and she’d prayed that whoever he was placed with loved him as much as he deserved.

As she watches the steady rise and fall of his chest, she can see that they have. She reaches out, brushing a copper tendril of hair away from his forehead, watching for any signs of pain. The stem cell procedure to save Mulder had been effective thus far, but it also meant they’d both be in the hospital to monitor any signs of infection.

She knows in her heart that she’ll never be able to thank him enough. She’d shown up too late to save his adoptive parents, but still he’d agreed to fly across the country to save a man who he’d only known for a matter of days. An image flashes in her mind of waking up in bed to see Mulder quietly sitting next to her, cradling their son and whispering to him all of the things he wanted him to know. She wonders what will happen once father and son are in the same room again, and what other stories Mulder will choose to tell.

“I remember you.”

Scully nearly jumps at the sound of William's voice. She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't seen him wake up. “I’m sorry, what?” she asks, fingers grasping the cross around her neck.

His tongue darts out to moisten chapped lips, and he blinks a couple of times, as if to clear the fog from his eyes. “I mean...not exactly you...but when I first saw you again, I thought you were familiar. It was like--” he pauses, pushing himself to sit up. “I’m sorry, can I get some water? My throat feels really dry.”

She’d get him anything he wanted if only he’d ask, and so she reaches for the nearby table and picks up the large styrofoam cup. “The nurse brought this by a minute ago and said you’d be waking up any minute. There should still be plenty of ice. Is it good?”

William takes the cup with both hands, guzzling down several large gulps before speaking. “Yeah, it's cold. Thanks.”

“Can I get you anything else? Do you need another pillow?” Scully asks, afraid she's not doing enough.

William shakes his head, twirling the straw between his fingers. He stares down at the blanket rather than at her. “Did it work?”

Scully feels a lump growing in her throat and she fights to swallow it, and she’s reminded of how despite the immense gift he’s given her, he’s still just a child. The uncertainty in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed, and she reaches out to grab his hand, but pulls back at the last second, choosing instead to fiddle with the edge of the blanket. She’s afraid of pushing too much too soon, of making him feel uncomfortable. “He seems to be fine so far, yes. It will take a few days to know for sure if his body has responded positively to the procedure, but all signs would suggest that he will make a full recovery.”

He nods, putting the straw up to his lips for another sip of water. “Cool.”

She smiles, shaking her head at the absurdity of it all. There is no guide book for how to deal with these situations. Try as she might, she doesn’t know exactly how to act, but as she watches him fidget with his plastic hospital bracelet, she realizes he doesn’t either. She clears her throat, shifting in her seat and pointing in the direction of the TV bolted to the wall. “Do you want to see if there’s a movie on?”

“I’m fine,” William replies, setting the water back onto the table and resting his head on the pillow. He pulls the blanket up around him, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand. “I’m just tired.”

 “Oh,” she says, nodding slowly. In retrospect, she should have known their first time alone in years would be awkward. They’ve been surrounded by government officials, travelers on the plane, and various hospital personnel since the moment they reconnected. His hospital room is quiet and she knows he needs the rest, so she opens her mouth to tell him she’s going to check on Mulder when she hears him speak first.

“It was your hair,” he says, hazel eyes locking with her blue ones. “It’s what made me feel like I remembered you. It’s different from before, not as red, but the dreams…”

His words are soft and muffled, due in part to the medications coursing through his system, and Scully can’t help the flood of warmth that rushes over her when she watches his eyes flutter open and shut. She thinks of the way he’d fight sleep as a baby, eyes opening wide mere moments before sleep claimed him, afraid he’d miss something. “You should catch some sleep, William. Your body needs it.”

“There was a song you used to sing, wasn’t there? Something…” William says, trying but failing to stifle a yawn. He furrows his brow, fixing his gaze somewhere in the middle distance, and he hums a few bars off key, fumbling a bit but remembering just the same.

It’s impossible, she knows, but nothing about him was ever simple. Memory couldn’t have possibly been retained at the age he was when she’d had him, and yet she feels the ghost of his infant weight cradled in her arms while she sang the song Mulder once claimed was the only one she knew. “William, I’m sure you have questions, and I’ll be--” she looks over at him and stops speaking when she realizes he’s fallen back asleep. At that, Scully loses some of her composure, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek. It’s a move that, had he been awake, might not have yet been appropriate.

A nurse enters the room, black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and smiles. “Has he woken up yet?”

Scully stands, her gaze breaking from William’s face long enough to respond. “For a few minutes. The medication hasn’t worn off and he’s still weak. But I’m grateful they both seem to be fine. Speaking of which,” she says, wiping her hands on her jeans. She watches as the nurse sets about checking up on William, monitoring his vitals for any signs of distress. “I should go check up on Mulder.”

Scully takes one last look before leaving the room, as if confirming for herself that the son she gave up for his own safety years before is truly back. She had been the one to go and get him, and yet it’s still a piece of her shaky reality that she finds hard to grasp. The conversation regarding just what he might remember is a stark reminder that there are still questions to be answers and talks to be had, concerning both the past and the future. As Scully walks down the hall, going from one of the most important people in her life to another, she’s not certain of what that future holds. It won’t be easy, of that much she is certain, but the ache in her chest that has remained a constant for so long feels lighter, and she can’t help hoping that maybe things have begun changing for the better.


End file.
